Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I *just* received something in the mail saying I am impacted- now what? And why is it so late?! What do I do now?

I just got one, too. I signed up for the monitoring service and checked my credit reports. I think that's all you can do.

Same

Anonymous wrote: I *just* received something in the mail saying I am impacted- now what? And why is it so late?! What do I do now?

I just got one, too. I signed up for the monitoring service and checked my credit reports. I think that's all you can do.

I *just* received something in the mail saying I am impacted- now what? And why is it so late?! What do I do now?

So if you sign up on ID Experts with the PIN they send you in the letter, it takes you to a page where they ask for your SSN again among other information. Why are they asking for this, since you have to input the last 4 digits along with the PIN to get to that page to begin with?

I'm at the point where I can't tell what is a scam and what isn't.

So I signed up with the pin and was told that I cant authenticate because my credit is frozen. I have never frozen my credit. The "specialist" (as she insisted to be called) online (who was so helpful she refused to give me her last name...) said to call experian. WTH?!? There's no place to even complain.

Anonymous wrote:To add insult to injury, my agency's email to employees about the data breach ended with platitudes about how we must all be vigilant to protect data security. Um, we aren't the ones who failed to protect PII...

Uh yeah. My agency got that email too. Or perhaps we have the same Acting Commissioner? Tone deaf a little? In other news, we were told at a meeting today that 2 millions current executive branch workers were effected-- and that there are 2 million current executive branch workers. So basically, all current executive branch Feds were hit, and it we were specifically told that disciplinary actions and requests for FMLA leave & ADA accommodations were part of the breach. And that while we wouldn not being officially informed until next week, we should go ahead and pull our free annual credit report now, and not wait.

Anonymous wrote:To add insult to injury, my agency's email to employees about the data breach ended with platitudes about how we must all be vigilant to protect data security. Um, we aren't the ones who failed to protect PII...

This breach also affects anyone that has gone through the clearance process and also those listed as a reference.

Anyone listed on your beneficiary forms --spouse, children included too.

To add insult to injury, my agency's email to employees about the data breach ended with platitudes about how we must all be vigilant to protect data security. Um, we aren't the ones who failed to protect PII...

Why do we have BS agencies like OPM protecting our PII? Why not a cybersecurity agency??

I really hate that when your personal information is stolen b/c the holder of the info (Target, Visa, Home Depot, OPM, the IRS etc) didn't protect it, the onus is on *you* to do all the work of monitoring/protecting/freezing/closing. Maybe these places would take computer security more seriously if they were on the hook for the cost of all this monitoring and hassle.

Per OPM: The intruders gained access to employee SSNs, job assignments, performance ratings and training information. It's the second time in the past year that OPM has been hacked. It sounds like there were known cybersecurity weaknesses. If you've been affected, they recommend:

1. Monitoring your bank accounts.
2. Request a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com or call 877/322-8228.
3. See the Federal Trade Commission's info on identify theft at identitytheft.gov.
4. Ask TransUnion to put a fraud alert on your credit line. 800/680-7289. That is supposed to establish a requirement to call you before a new account is opened in your name. However, it may be better to freeze your credit with each of the 3 credit reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Transunion. Fraud alerts are not mandatory for creditors, just a courtesy, so it may be ignored. The credit freeze can be accomplished online.

www.freeze.equifax.com
www.experian.com/freeze
www.transunion.com/securityfreeze

5. If you discover that your info has been used for fraud, report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center @ic3.gov and the FTC at the identifytheft.gov site.

FYI TSP data is not impacted. That is not held by OPM.

Anonymous wrote:
How do we go about getting the free credit monitoring?


I got an email from my agency telling me that I would be contacted with more information from OPM on this. So waiting....

I think the info will be use for phishing- trying to break into other government computer. They will send out an email with your boss or fellow colleague's info on it and hope that you open the attachments. The Russians were doing this with the Ukrainians.